An example of a shaving device comprising at least one carrier as described above is known from EP 1 212 176. The shaving device is a so-called rotary shaving device, i.e. a shaving device having at least one ring-shaped carrier which is provided with a number of cutting elements, wherein the carrier is driven such as to rotate during operation of the shaving device. In the example known from EP 1 212 176, the shaving device is equipped with three carriers. Each carrier is covered by a cap which is intended to be used for contacting portions of skin to be subjected to a shaving action, and which is provided with openings for letting through hairs from the portions of skin to the cutting elements. It is understood that an important function of the cap is avoiding direct contact between the cutting elements of the carrier and the portions of skin, so that skin damage is prevented.
The shaving device comprises a motor for driving the carriers. Proper use of the shaving device involves movement of the shaving device in such a way that the caps slide over portions of skin. In the process, hairs protruding from the skin are continuously caught in the cap openings and are cut through as soon as they are encountered by the moving cutting elements of the carriers, wherein edges of the cap openings serve as counter cutting edges.
The best shaving results are obtained when the process of cutting through hairs takes place at a level that is as close as possible to the skin. In view of this, it is advantageous to apply elements for engaging hairs and lifting hairs before the hairs are cut through by the cutting elements. EP 1 212 176 discloses blade-shaped hair lifting elements which are provided with a thickened end with an edge, wherein this edge serves for coming into contact with hairs during operation of the shaving device and pulling the hairs further through the cap openings. The hair lifting elements are elastically arranged with respect to the cutting elements, at positions close to the cutting elements. In this way, it is possible to realize a process in which hairs are engaged by the hair lifting elements first, are pulled further through the cap openings under the influence of an elastic movement of the hair lifting elements with respect to the cutting elements, and are cut off under the influence of subsequent contact to the cutting elements. The hair pulling movement of the hair lifting elements may be automatically obtained when these elements are slidably supported by the cutting elements, and when these elements and a supporting surface of the cutting elements have an inclined orientation with respect to a normal orientation of the hairs as they extend through the cap holes.
Although use of the shaving device known from EP 1 212 176 yields good shaving results, there is a need for further improvement. It appears that the function of a hair lifting element is disabled when the element lands on a cut-off hair stubble on the way from a retracted position that is associated with a hair lifting action of the element to a more extended position that is associated with a hair engaging action of the element. As a result, it happens that not all hairs which need to be shaved off are lifted before the actual cutting process takes place, so that a less close shave is obtained. This fail mechanism is also denoted as pollution of the carrier.
Furthermore, there is a need for a light-weight construction of the pairs of the cutting element and the hair lifting element. When the construction of the pairs of elements is relatively heavy, there is a risk that the hair lifting elements cut through the hairs instead of lifting the hairs during a shaving process, which is another factor that leads to a less close shave on the basis of a decreased effectiveness of the hair lifting process. Also, the higher the mass of the hair lifting elements, the more time it takes for these elements to move between the retracted position and the extended position, so that the effectiveness of the hair lifting process is decreased even further.